Ashley McBryde Says She Used a 'Special Occasion' ChapStick Dolly Parton Gave Her for 20 Years

Daniela AvilaWed, May 20, 2026 at 8:30 PM UTC

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Ashley McBryde once saved Dolly Parton's home by removing a flaming microwave during a remodeling project

McBryde said that Parton gave her the microwave after the incident — as well as a ChapStick that she kept for 20 years

"I would only use it on special occasions," she said

Ashley McBryde's experience working for Dolly Parton was a memorable one.

During an appearance on BBC Radio 2 on Wednesday, May 13, the "Never Wanted to Be That Girl" singer was asked about working for Parton, 80, shortly after moving to Nashville. Recalling her experience, McBryde said Parton once gave her a lip balm that she held on to for years.

"[She] gave me a tube of ChapStick that I had for, I don't know, probably 20 years after that," McBryde, 42, said.

The country singer added, "I would only use it on special occasions. I got to use my Dolly Parton ChapStick."

Before the ChapStick bit, McBryde recalled Parton's microwave setting on fire — and springing into action to save her house. (In 2023, McBryde appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show and said that she was heating up Bagel Bites when the incident occurred.)

Ashley McBryde and Dolly Parton
Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Jason Kempin/Getty

"There was a microwave, and it was on fire... I unplugged it from the wall, grabbed it with a bear hug and ran it out the door," she said, adding that Parton's home was in the process of being remodeled.

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She continued, "Where we were staying was just one little portion of the home with two rooms, and a deep freeze, and a microwave and a bed. They were re-wallpapering, so for that smoke to be billowing out of the microwave, it would have ruined everything in that room. So [I] just bear hugged it and took it outside."

McBryde said that Parton gave her the microwave to keep after the incident — and advised her on how to "get the stink out of it."

McBryde's appearance on BBC Radio 2 comes after the release of her fifth studio album Wild. In March, when she announced the album's release date, she wrote about its inspiration on Instagram.

"Sometimes going with your gut is the scariest thing you can do… and the most necessary. This record felt like building a tree fort from some pieces we'd been needing to put to good use and some building materials I had to go scout out and look for. And piece by piece, trusting it would all hold together in the end. I'm so ready for y'all to hear it," the "One Night Standards" singer wrote."Wild is the name. That's the spirit of the record. The fear, the chaos, the hard truths, and the little kid in me who always kept dreaming big," she continued. "I can't wait for you to hear more of the story."

Ashley McBryde in Nashville on May 11, 2026
Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty

Meanwhile, Parton canceled her Las Vegas residency earlier this month and said she still had "some healing to do" in a lengthy Instagram Reel.

"Well, hey there, it's Dolly, and I'm here to give you an update on a few things going on in my life," she began. "First, it's concerning my health — and I have some good news and a little bad news. But the good news is I'm responding really well to meds and treatments, and I'm improving every day. Now, the bad news is that it's gonna take me a little while before I'm up to stage performance level because some of the meds and treatments make me a little swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”